Shopping Man-ia

Do you ever bargain from shopkeepers?

The American humorist, Erma Bombeck, once said, “Shopping is a woman thing. It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase.”

It is indeed the truth. Shopping and women are definitely interdependent. After all, women are the ones who love to buy as much as they can at a bargained price. They seem to be keen at following the motto, “Shop till you drop.”

Comparatively, men aren’t much interested in such activities. They tend to get distracted or eventually tire out within the first hour of shopping itself.

Or so I thought.

My perspective on male shoppers changed when a certain shopper proved that my hypothesis was wrong.

A few days ago, I came across a shopper trying to bargain with the shopkeeper as he wanted to buy a beautiful dress for his wife at a lower price. I noticed that both, the shopkeeper as well as the shopper, were adamant at the price each one of them quoted initially. After about half-an-hour, the shopper eventually emerged winner and bought the dress at a much lower price that the shopkeeper had initially quoted.

Later I came across the same person at another shop with loads of shoppers’ bags. Though his wife and daughter looked a bit tired, he seemed as fresh as a flower bud.

This surprised me. I often thought it were men who would eventually tire out from shopping. But here, it was the other way round. Very rarely have I seen a man participating enthusiastically in such an activity and a woman being fed up of it.

I agree people’s habits and perspectives change with the passage of time. But this was like witnessing the beginning of a revolution in the history of shopping.

So get ready to take your husband along on your next shopping spree, for a better bargain.

(Published in The Gulf Today on July 2, 2016)